Originally Posted by mikensf74

One option is to purchase the 4,000 miles from United.
That would cost $164. Takes 48 hrs to process.
I don't need to tell you this is highly overpriced cost for miles. But, it's an option.

Keep in mind that UA also charges a "close in" ticketing fee of $75 per ticket if travel commences within 21 days of ticketing. Not the best link, but sort of describes this rule here.

Finally, not sure how much the fare is on this route, but could you use UA miles for one person, and redeem Starpoints to purchase a ticket directly with the new Starwood points to fly program? (Avoids transferring your miles to UA, and I believe you can still earn UA miles since Starwood is buying the ticket for you directly.)